Srom  i^t  £i6rfttt  of 

QprofeBBor  ^amuef  (giiffet 

in  (gtemori?  of 

3ubge  ^dntuef  (ttttffer  (jBrecfeintibge 

^tegenteb  6i> 

^dtnuef  Otiffer  (grecftinribge  &ong 

to  t^  feifitatij  of 

(Princeton  C^eofogicaf  ^emtnarj 


ScS 


194  THE  IMPORTANCE  OF,  &C. 

pear  before  the  judgrnent  seat  of  Christ  to  render  an  ac- 
count of  your  stewardship.  When  that  solemn  hour 
shall  have  come,  the  advantages  of  eminent  piety  will  be 
most  conspicuous.  The  difference  between  the  faithful 
and  diligent,  and  the  wicked  and  slothful  servant  will 
be  manifest  to  all ;  the  one  will  be  for  ever  comforted,  and 
the  other  tormented.  To  the  one,  the  Lord  will  say, 
"  Well  done  good  and  faithful  servant  enter  into  the  joy 
of  thy  Lord ; "  to  the  other,  "  Depart  from  me,  I  never 
knew  you."  Through  eternity  shall  the  pious  and  de- 
voted Minister  rejoice  in  the  presence  of  God,  with  those 
redeemed  spirits,  whom  he  has  been  the  instrument  of 
rescuing  from  hell  and  conducting  to  heaven.  But  who 
can  describe  the  anguish  and  the  wailings  of  unfaithful 
Ministers,  when,  with  Judas,  they  lift  up  their  eyes  in 
the  deepest  regions  of  despair.  "  Hell,"  said  one  of  the 
fathers,  "  is  paved  with  the  sculls  of  ungodly  Ministers." 
O,  then,  be  in  earnest  about  your  work.  Let  divine  love 
glow  in  your  own  bosom.  Regard  not  the  world  nor  the 
things  in  the  world.  Be  instant  in  season  and  out  of 
season.  Live  near  to  God,  and  keep  up  a  lively  sense  of 
divine  things  on  your  minds.  Exert  every  facultj^  and 
employ  every  talent  and  opportunity  in  promoting  the 
glory  of  God  and  the  salvation  of  men.  Be  faithful  unto 
death,  and  ye  shajl  receive  the  crown  of  life,. 


i3 


ON  THE 


NECESSITY  OF  A  KNOWLEDGE 


ORIGUrikZi  i:.ilNGUil.GES 


SCRIPTURES. 


y 


BY  REV.  CHARLES  HODGE, 

Professor  of  Oriental  and  Biblical  Literature  in  the  Theological 
Seminary  at  Princeton,  N.  J, 


ON 


THE  NECESSITY,  &c. 


The  clergy  have  ever  been  one  of  the  most  influen- 
tial classes  in  society.  They  address  themselves  to  the 
most  powerful  and  universally  operative  feelings  of  the 
human  heart.  As  the  great  dispensers  of  moral  and  re- 
ligious truth,  their  power  over  the  opinions  and  princi- 
ples of  their  fellow-men,  is  such  as  to  involve  the  most 
solemn  responsibility.  In  the  dark  ages  and  portions  of 
the  Church,  this  influence  was,  and  still  is,  mainly  offi- 
cial. The  fact  that  a  man  is  a  minister  of  religion,  with 
the  ignorant  and  superstitious,  secures  for  him  respect, 
and  often  reverence  and  submission.  This  is  not  the 
case  where  the  people  are  enlightened;  and  especially, 
where  they  have  been  taught  to  revolt  at  all  kinds  of 
authoritative  dictation.  Under  such  circumstances,  the 
influence  of  the  clergy  depends  much  more  upon  their 
personal  qualifications,  than  mere  respect  for  their  of- 
fice. An  ignorant  or  immoral  man  can  pretend  to  no 
right,  and  has  no  prospect  of  being  able,  to  guide  the 
opinions,  and  form  the  character  of  men,  superior  to  him- 
self, merely  because  he  may  be  invested  with  the  sacred 


198  ORIGINAL    LANGUAGES 

office.  It  is  only  by  being  superior  in  intellectual  and 
moral  culture,  that  he  can  secure  any  salutary  influence 
over  his  fellow-men.  The  usefulness  of  the  clergy,  the 
progress  of  religion,  and  the  best  interests  of  the  Re- 
deemer's kingdom,  depend,  therefore,  under  God,  in  a 
great  measure  on  the  intellectual  and  moral  character 
of  the  Ministers  of  the  Gospel.  That  this  is  really  the 
case,  experience  abundantly  proves.  Wherever  Minis- 
ters of  the  Gospel  have  been  ignorant,  religion  has  de- 
generated into  superstition  or  fanaticism.  The  unedu- 
cated have  been  the  victims  of  one  or  other  of  these 
forms  of  error ;  and  the  cultivated  portions  of  society 
have  fallen  a  prey  to  infidelitj''.  On  the  other  hand, 
wherever  the  teachers  of  religion  have  taken  the  lead  in 
intellectual  and  moral  excellence,  there  piety  has  flour- 
ished. How  solemn,  then,  is  the  responsibility  which 
rests  on  every  candidate  for  the  sacred  office,  to  attend 
to  the  cultivation  of  his  mind.  It  is  not  for  his  personal 
advancement,  for  his  own  happiness  or  honour,  that  he 
is  bound  to  labour  in  this  vocation,  but  it  is  because  by 
becoming  a  Minister  he  identifies  himself  with  the  cause 
of  religion,  and  he  has  no  right  to  degrade  that  cause 
by  allying  it,  in  his  own  person,  with  imbecility  and  ig- 
norance. 

There  are  many  who  endeavour  to  free  themselves 
from  this  responsibility,  as  to  mental  improvement,  by 
saying  they  expect  to  spend  their  days  among  the  poor, 
where  much  learning  will  not  be  requisite.  But  who 
has  revealed  to  these  men  where  they  are  to  spend  their 
days  ?    The  providence  of  God  may  cast  their  lot  among 


OF  THE  SCRIPTURES.  199 

the  most  educated  and  refined  classes  of  society.  A 
friend  of  the  writer,  who  made  this  the  excuse  for  ne- 
glecting a  regular  and  faithful  course  of  theological 
study,  has  had  a  succession  of  charges  in  which  intel- 
lectual culture  was  peculiarly  desirable.  His  usefulness 
and  respectability  have  suffered  materially,  and  for  life, 
from  the  false  step  of  his  youth.  Besides,  in  our  coun- 
try, the  rich  and  poor,  the  educated  and  ignorant,  are  so 
intermingled,  that  a  congregation  or  community  formed 
exclusively  of  either  class  is  not  to  be  met  with.  Where- 
ever  you  may  go,  you  will  find  your  usefulness  depend- 
ing, next  to  piety  and  zeal,  mainly  on  your  knowledge. 
The  candidate  for  the  Ministry,  therefore,  cannot  but 
be  regarded  as  criminally  negligent  of  his  duty  to  his 
Master,  who  neglects  any  opportunity  of  intellectual  im- 
provement. 

As  to  the  kinds  of  knowledge  which  a  minister  should 
cultivate,  they  ought  undoubtedly  to  be  principally  pro- 
fessional; and  in  this  class  are  included  subjects  of  suffi- 
cient compass  and  importance,  to  occupy  the  most  de- 
voted attention  and  comprehensive  talents.  But  among 
professional  subjects,  there  is  ground  of  preference. 
Some  are  intrinsically  more  important  than  others ;  and 
some  become  especially  important  on  account  of  the  pe- 
culiar character  of  the  age,  or  state  of  the  church.  On 
the  ground  of  intrinsic  value,  and  peculiar  adaptation 
to  the  circumstances  of  the  candidates  for  the  Ministry 
of  the  present  day,  there  is  no  department  of  knowledge 
which  more  imperiously  demands  their  attention,  than 

THE   ORIGINAL    LANGUAGES    OF    THE     SACRED    SCRIPTURES. 

R 


200  ORIGINAL  LANGUAGES 

To  evince  the  justice  of  this  assertion,  let  the  following 
considerations  be  duly  weighed. 

I.  No  translation  can  make  a  full  and  fair  exhibition 
of  its  original.  This  inadequacy  results  from  the  ne- 
cessary difference  which  exists  between  different  lan- 
guages, which  renders  it  impossible  that  words  can  be 
put  for  words,  so  that  the  meaning,  force,  and  beauty 
should  be  unchanged.  This  difference  includes  a  va- 
riety of  particulars.  In  the  first  place,  there  is  a  gene- 
ral disparity,  which  it  may  be  difficult  to  define,  yet  is 
sensibly  felt.  Any  person  acquainted  with  more  than 
one  language,  needs  no  other  proof  of  this  than  his  own 
experience.  He  is  constantly  sensible  that  there  is 
something  in  the  original  which  his  translation  does  not 
reach.  And  it  is  evident  this  must  be  the  case,  be- 
cause, much  of  the  excellence  of  every  writer  depends 
on  his  style — ^all  this  is  lost  in  the  version.  You  have, 
necessarily,  the  style  of  the  translator,  not  that  of  his 
author.  If  the  former  be  on  a  par  in  the  talent  for 
writing  with  the  latter,  and  if  the  two  languages  be  in 
all  respects  equal,  the  translation  may,  as  a  composi- 
tion, be  equal  to  the  original.  But  even  if  the  advan- 
tage in  each  respect  was  on  the  side  of  the  translator, 
it.  does  not  affect  our  position.  The  version  is  not,  and 
cannot  be  an  exact  representation  of  the  original.  It 
may  be  better,  or  worse,  but  it  is  not  the  same.  It  is 
with  the  mind  of  the  translator  we  have  to  do,  in  every 
translation.  Who  knows  any  thing  of  Homer  from 
Pope,  or  Cowper,  or  Voss,  or  Sotheby  ?    It  is  not  the 


OP  THE  SCBIPTURES.  201 

Grecian  poet  we  learn  by  reading  these  versions.  They 
are  indeed  all  excellent,  all,  to  a  sufficient  extent,  faith- 
fijl;  yet  each  and  all  fail  of  bringing-  us  acquainted  with 
the  father  of  profane  poetry.  We  learn  what  Pope,  and 
Cowper,  and  Sotheby  were  as  poets,  but  we  are  ignorant 
of  Homer.  The  facts,  indeed,  of  his  story  are  retained, 
but  he  is  not  the  narrator.  We  have,  as  it  were,  the 
body  without  the  soul.  This  is  a  point  at  once  so  ob- 
vious, and  so  important,  that  it  has  ever  been  acknow- 
ledged and  regarded  in  respect  to  classic  authors.  No 
one  pretends  to  an  acquaintance  with  these  writers, 
who  is  indebted  for  his  knowledge  to  translators.  It 
seems  to  be  on  all  hands  conceded,  that  a  knowledge  of 
what  the  author  has  himself  written,  is  necessary  to 
qualify  any  man,  in  that  department,  to  speak  of  the 
merits  of  an  author,  and  much  more  to  authorize  any 
one  to  expound  his  meaning.  But  why  should  this  be 
conceded  in  reference  to  the  writers  of  Greece,  and  not 
to  those  of  Palestine  ?  Why  should  the  lecturer  on  the 
classics,  who  could  not  read  a  word  of  them,  be  an  ob- 
ject of  ridicule,  and  the  equally  ignorant  lecturer  on  the 
Bible,  an  object  of  respect? 

There  is  therefore  such  an  acknowledged  difference 
between  languages,  that  all  translations  must  differ  ma- 
terially from  their  originals.  The  vital  characteristic 
spirit  of  the  one,  cannot  be  infused  into  the  other.  The 
mind  of  the  translator  is  interposed  between  the  reader 
and  the  original  author.  The  thoughts  and  sentiments 
are  transmuted  by  the  process  of  translation;  divested  of 
their  characteristic  impress,  they  fall  chilled  and  enfeebled 


202  ORIGINAL  LANGUAGES 

on  the  heart  of  the  reader.  If  this  were  the  only  evil  of 
a  translation,  and  if  the  only  advantage  of  a  knowledge  of 
the  original  was,  that  it  secured  us  immediate  access  to  the 
minds  of  the  sacred  writers,  it  would  be  enough  to  com- 
pensate for  all  the  time  and  labour  which  the  acquisition 
requires.  To  have  their  language  a  direct  medium  of 
thought,  and  to  be  admitted  to  immediate  communion  with 
minds  "  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost,"  is  a  pleasure  and  a 
benefit  sufficient  to  recompense  the  severest  toil. 

But  this,  which  may  be  considered  as  merely  a  mat- 
ter of  enjoyment,  is  not  all.  There  are  more  solid  bene- 
fits to  be  derived  from  reading  the  Scriptures  in  their 
original  languages,  than  the  vividness  of  impression, 
and  the  freshness  of  the  truth  as  it  comes  from  the  lips 
of  the  servants  of  God.  The  difference  between  lan- 
guages extends  beyond  the  attributes  of  style.  It  per- 
tains to  their  general  character  and  structure,  to  the 
precision  and  compass  of  the  meaning  of  terms ;  and  is 
BO  serious  as  to  render  every  translation  defective  as 
to  its  meaning  as  well  as  its  manner.  Some  languages 
are  rude,  others  polished ;  some  are  highly  figurative, 
and  others  the  reverse ;  some  remarkably  precise  in  the 
use  of  words,  in  the  force  of  particles,  in  the  use  of  the 
tenses  and  other  grammatical  forms;  others  the  reverse 
in  all  these  particulars.  It  is  obvious,  therefore,  that 
the  translator  must  often  express,  literally,  what  is  con- 
veyed by  figure ;  must  render  definite,  what  is  ambigu- 
ous ;  must  use  a  form  which  may  express  various  modi- 
fications of  the  meaning  of  a  word,  for  one  which 
ladmits  of  no  such  latitude.    He  may  be  right  or  wrong 


OF  THE  SCKIPTURES.  203 

as  to  the  sense  which  he  expresses,  but  whether  right 
or  wrong,  he  is  different  from  his  author ;  for  he  ren- 
ders  definite  what  was   left  undeterminate,  or  makes 
ambiguous   what    admits    of  but    one    interpretation. 
Again,  all  tho  characteristic  peculiarities  of  a  language 
must  be  passed  over,  or  very  inadequately  expressed. 
The  particles,  which   add  eo  much,   not   only  to  the 
grace,  but  also  to  the  precision  and  force  of  the  Greek 
writers,  must,  in  Latin  and  English,  be  almost  entirely 
neglected.     Phrases  properly   idiomatic,  must  be  new 
modified,  or  remain  uncouth  deformities  in  the  version, 
and  often  lead  the  reader  into  error.    Again,  very  few 
words   belonging  to  different  languages  are   precisely 
synonymous.     Some  classes  of  terms,  of  course,  more 
nearly  correspond  than  others.     In  a  few,  the  corres- 
pondence may  be  considered  as  complete ;  as  in  those 
which  express  simple  ideas,  or  natural  objects,  or  the 
necessary    relations   of  life.     But  beyond    these,  and 
a  few  other   classes,  it  will  be    almost  impossible  to 
find  any  two  words  belonging  to  different  languages 
which  exactly  agree.     The  one  either  expresses  more  or 
less  than  the  other,  or  admits  of  applications  which  the 
other  does  not  allow.     Hence  we  see  foreigners   con- 
stantly making  the  mistake  of  using  our  terms  in  all 
the  extent  of  meaning,  and  variety  of  application,  which 
the  nearest  corresponding  word  of  their  own  language 
admits.     This  too  is  a  source  of  endless  error  to  the 
readers  of  mere  translations  of  the  Scriptures.    Because 
the  word  "  hell,"  for  example,  in  a  certain  connexion, 
may  mean  the  abode  of  lost  spirits,  how  natural  the  in- 
R  2 


204  ORIGINAL  LANGUAGES 

ference  that  the  Hebrew  or  Greek  word  which  it  repre- 
sents, may,  in  the  same  connexion,  have  the  same  mean- 
ing; and  yet  this,  to  any  reader  of  the  original,  may  be 
seen  to  be  impossible.  And  how  often  are  arguments 
and  doctrines  built  upon  the  assumption,  that  the  origi- 
nal will  bear  every  interpretation  which  the  version 
admits.  This  therefore  is  a  point  of  vital  importance. 
Translations  must,  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  make  a 
false  representation.  We  might  submit  to  a  loss  of 
beauty  or  force,  but  it  appears  we  cannot  have  in  all 
cases  the  precise  sense.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that 
languages  do  so  differ  in  their  general  structure,  in 
their  peculiar  expressions  and  idioms,  in  the  extent  of 
meaning  and  variety  of  application  of  their  nearest  cor- 
responding terms,  that  no  version  can  be  a  faithful  ex- 
hibition of  its  original.  It  will  either  say  more  or  less, 
it  will  make  what  is  figurative,  literal,  or  literal  figura- 
tive ;  what  is  definite,  ambiguous,  or  ambiguous,  definite. 
If  this  be  so,  need  the  question  be  asked.  Whether 
preachers  and  expounders  of  the  Word  of  God,  are  not 
bound  to  go  to  what  He  has  himself  said,  and  not  trust  in 
the  inadequate  and  faulty  reports  of  others  ? 

II.  A  second  consideration,  which  should  impress  on 
the  mind  of  every  candidate  for  the  Ministry  a  sense  of  the 
importance  of  studying  the  original  languages  of  Scrip- 
ture, is  but  an  inference  from  the  preceding.  He  cannot 
otherwise  be  qualified  to  explain  the  Word  of  God.  The 
gtand  official  duty  of  the  minister  of  the  Gospel  is,  "right- 
ly to  divide  the  word  of  God,"  and  by  the  presentation  of 


OP  THE  SCRIPTURES.  205 

the  truth  to  instruct,  rebuke,  and  exhort  with  all  long 
suffering  and  meekness.  How  is  this  to  be  done,  unless 
he  himself  knows  the  truth;  and  how  is  this  knowledge 
to  be  obtained  ?  He  finds  it  revealed  through  the  me- 
dium of  a  written  language,  which  he  is  to  understand, 
not  by  inspiration  or  miracle,  but  by  applying  to  its  in- 
terpretation those  simple  rules  of  exegesis  which  govern 
the  exposition  of  all  language.  He  must  examine  ac- 
curately the  meaning  of  the  words  and  phrases  used  by 
the  sacred  writers,  by  ascertaining  how  these  writers 
themselves  employ  them  in  other  passages,  and  in  what 
way  they  were  used  by  the  persons  to  whom  they  were 
addressed ;  and  by  investigating  the  etymology  as  well 
as  usage  of  every  important  term.  The  application  of 
these,  and  other  equally  obvious  rules  of  interpretation, 
of  course,  suppose  a  knowledge  of  the  language  used 
by  the  sacred  penman.  It  may  indeed  be  said,  that 
this  process  has  all  been  gone  through  by  the  translator, 
who  furnishes  us  with  the  result.  But  we  are  bound  to 
verify  his  report  for  ourselves.  It  has  already  been  re- 
marked, that  the  best  translation  cannot  be  an  exact  ex- 
hibition of  the  original.  Even  when  most  correct,  it 
may  be  the  source  of  error  to  the  ignorant.  The  words 
of  the  version  may  answer  to  the  original  in  one  of  the  va- 
rious senses  which  those  words  will  bear,  but  not  in  others. 
The  translator  may  be  right,  and  yet  we,  by  concluding 
that  the  original  admits  of  every  interpretation  which 
his  version  allows,  may  be  seriously  wrong.  We  can- 
not be  sure,  with  any  enlightened  confidence,  when  ex- 
pounding a  translation,  that  we  are  not  wandering  far 


206  ORIGINAL  LANGUAGES 

from  the  text  which  it  proposes  to  represent.  But  ver- 
sions are  very  often  positively  incorrect.  Among  the 
thousand  translations  by  churches  and  individuals,  no 
two  precisely  agree.  Some  are  so  loose  and  inaccurate, 
that  important  doctrines  are  obscured,  and  important 
errors  inculcated.  Which  version  shall  we  choose? 
Who  shall  insure  us  from  error  in  this  choice  ?  It  is 
however  self-evident,  that  no  man  can  be  qualified  to  ex- 
plain an  ancient  document  of  which  he  knows  nothing 
but  a  translation.    He  is  unavoidably  exposed  to  ludi-  I 

crous  or  fatal  mistakes,  by  the  faultiness  or  insuffici-  .    ' 

ency  of  his  guide.  This,  as  we  before  remarked,  is  a 
matter  universally  admitted  with  regard  to  every  other 
document,  than  the  Word  of  God.  That  is,  it  is  uni- 
versally  admitted  in  every  case,  except  precisely  the 
one  in  which  it  is  most  evident  and  most  important. 
We  do  not  of  course  deny  that  the  most  faulty  of  the 
translations  of  the  sacred  Scriptures,  contain  much  of 
their  genuine  sense,  and  consequently  may  convey  this 
saving  knowledge  to  those  who  peruse  them.  But  the 
question  now  is,  whether  the  man,  who  must  expound 
the  Scriptures  to  the  people,  is  not  bound  to  do  all  that 
he  can  to  understand  them  fully  and  accurately ;  and 
whether  the  knowledge  of  something  better  than  a 
faulty  and  inadequate  translation,  is  not,  of  all  qualifica- 
tions, one  of  the  most  obvious  and  important  for  the  dis- 
charge  of  this  duty.  If  this  be  admitted,  (and  who  will 
deny  it  ?) — then  is  it  admitted  that  few  obligations  are 
more  solemn  and  imperious,  than  that  which  binds  the 


OF  THE  SCRIPTURES.  207 

ministers  of  the  Gospel  to  study  the  Scriptures  in  theilr 
original  languages. 

III.  Another  of  the  most  important  duties  of  the  min- 
ister  of  the  Gospel,  is  to  defend  the  faith,  to  resist  and 
put  to  silence  gainsayers — for  the  proper  discharge  of 
tliis  duty,  a  knowledge  of  the  original  Scriptures  is  es- 
sential. This  is  evident,  not  only  from  the  considera- 
tion that  this  knowledge  is  necessary  to  any  accurate 
and  well  grounded  acquaintance  with  the  contents  of 
the  sacred  volume,  but  it  alone  can  enable  us  to  meet 
and  answer  that  large  class  of  objections  founded  on 
the  misapprehensions  or  mistakes  of  translators.  Many 
arguments  in  which  the  opponents  of  the  truth  most 
confidently  rely,  have  no  better  foundation  than  such 
mistakes.  How  then  are  these  to  be  detected  or  an- 
swered, if  we  know  nothing  of  the  original?  Besides,  no 
version  is  acknowledged  by  all  parties  as  the  standard 
of  divine  truth.  If  we  are  brought  into  collision  with 
Roman  Catholics,  we  shall  find  that  they  not  only  deny 
the  authority  of  our  version  of  the  Word  of  God,  but 
charge  its  authors  with  wilfully  perverting  and  mis- 
representing the  sacred  text.  Are  our  lips  to  be  closed 
by  such  an  assertion  ?  Are  those  whose  duty  it  is  to 
defend  and  uphold  the  truth,  to  be  thus  easily  vanquish- 
ed  ?  And  yet  what  can  we  say.  The  accomplished 
Catholic  appeals  to  the  original;  he  affirms  that  it 
teaches  all  the  peculiarities  of  his  own  faith,  and  over- 
turns the  doctrines  of  Protestants;  and  must  we  sit  silent, 
with  the  seal  of  ignorance  upon  our  lips  ?     Is  this  the 


208  ORIGINAL  LANGUAGES 

way  we  are  to  clear  our  conscience  of  the  solemn  duty 
of  defending  the  truth  on  which  the  salvation  of  men  de- 
pends ?  The  common  Catholic  will  show  us  in  his 
Douay  Bible,  the  frequently  reiterated  command  "  to  do 
penance."  The  Saviour  is  made  to  say  to  men,  "  Un- 
less  ye  do  penance  ye  shall  all  perish."  How  are  we 
to  answer  his  argument  in  favour  of  penances,  founded 
on  such  passages  ?  Not  by  appealing  to  our  transla- 
tion, for  to  him,  it  is  of  no  authority.  The  only  possible 
method  is  to  turn  to  the  original,  and  satisfy  every  one, 
capable  of  understanding  it,  that  no  such  doctrine  is 
contained  in  the  Word  of  God.  But  this,  if  ignorant  of 
the  sacred  languages,  we,  of  course,  shall  not  be  able  to 
do.  If  it  is  our  lot  to  encounter  Socinians,  all  our  argu- 
ments are  met  and  answered  by  the  easy  assertion, 
that  they  rest  on  false  translations.  However  unfound- 
ed the  assertion,  it  is  sufficient  to  silence  the  ignorant 
advocate  of  orthodoxy.  Let  any  candidate  for  the  sa- 
cred Ministry  put  it  to  his  conscience,  whether  this  is 
the  kind  of  defence  which  the  truth  merits  at  his  hands ; 
whether  he  can  justify  himself  either  in  the  sight  of 
God  or  man,  in'  assuming  the  responsibility  of  a  de- 
fender of  the  faith  delivered  to  the  saints,  and  yet  be  no 
better  prepared  for  his  work. 

It  is  not,  however,  only  in  controversy  with  those 
who  differ  thus  seriously  from  us  in  matters  of  belief, 
that  the  knowledge  in  question  is  essential.  The  Eng- 
lish version  is  not  the  standard  to  which  appeal  is  made 
in  any  doctrinal  discussion.  On  every  subject,  the 
original  alone  is  regarded  as  authoritative.    Any  dis- 


OP  THE  SCRIPTURES.  209 

putant,  therefore,  can  at  once  carry  the  controversy  be- 
yond our  depth,  and  inflict  on  us  and  our  cause  the  dis- 
grace and  injury  of  defeat,  at  pleasure.  Will  it  not  then 
be  admitted  that  a  knowledge  of  the  original  languages 
is  essential  to  qualify  us  for  the  discharge  of  one  of  the 
most  obvious  and  important  duties  of  the  Ministry;  that 
without  this  knowledge,  no  man  can  defend  the  truth, 
satisfy  the  doubting,  stop  the  mouths  of  gainsayers,  or 
even  in  an  enlightened  manner,  satisfy  his  own  mind. 
How  poor  an  excuse,  then,  is  disinclination  or  sloth,  for 
the  neglect  of  a  duty  so  obvious  and  so  important. 

IV.  Ignorance  of  the  sacred  languages  will  prevent 
our  access  to  the  best  sources  of  theological  knowledge. 

It  is  so  much  taken  for  granted  that  ministers  are  ac- 
quainted with  what  are  considered  the  rudiments  of 
their  science,  that  all  works  of  consequence  which  refer 
to  the  Bible  at  all,  refer  to  the  Scriptures  in  the  original. 
It  is  the  original  which  they  criticise  and  explain ;  it  is 
this  on  which  they  rest  their  arguments  and  found 
their  remarks,  if  therefore  we  are  ignorant  of  thesaored 
languages,  such  works  must  be  to  us  uninteresting  and 
unintelUgible.  The  magnitude  of  this  difficulty  will 
be  felt  by  all  those  who  mean  to  extend  the  range  of 
their  studies  beyond  the  most  contracted  limits.  The 
standard  works  in  all  departments,  the  best  commenta- 
ries, the  best  systems  of  divinity,  the  best  polemical, 
and  even  the  best  practical  writers,  must,  to  all  such, 
remain  hermetically  sealed.  The  department  of  Bibli- 
cal Literature  must  be  in  a  great  measure  neglected. 


210  ORIGINAL  LANGUAGES 

Every  tiling  which  belongs  to  the  first  step  in  theology, 
ascertaining  the  true  text  of  the  Scriptures,  must  be 
passed  over,  and  we  be  left  at  the  mercy  of  every  one 
who  chooses  to  assert  that  this  or  that  passage  is  a 
false  reading  or  interpolation.  All  that  pertains  to  the 
sciencd  of  interpretation  presupposes  a  knowledge  of 
the  sacred  languages ;  the  literary  history  of  the  sacred 
volume,  the  discussion  of  the  canonical  authority  and  au- 
thenticity of  every  book,  requires  the  same  acquisition. 
In  short,  without  this  knowledge,  two-thirds  of  theologi- 
cal literature  must  remain  to  us  an  unknown  land. 
How  any  one  who  does  not  determine  to  be  an  ignorant 
minister,  can  neglect  this  subject,  it  is  hard  to  conceive. 
And  how  any  man  can  determine  to  be  an  ignorant 
minister,  who  admits  that  the  interests  of  religion  de- 
pend in  a  great  measure  on  the  character  and  standing 
of  the  clergy,  it  becomes  those  who  make  the  determi- 
nation to  explain. 

V.  In  this  connexion  it  may  be  remarked,  that  the 
acquisition  of  which  we  are  speaking,  is  becoming  so 
common,  that  we  cannot  be  expected  to  maintain 
without  it  a  respectable  standing  among  our  fellow 
clergymen. 

It  has  already  been  remarked,  that  in  different  ages 
of  the  Church,  certain  subjects  have  received  an  impor- 
tance independent  of  their  intrinsic  worth.  There  was 
a  time  when  a  man's  standing  depended  on  his  meta- 
physical acumen ;  and  useless  as  v/ere  the  subjects  on 
which  that  acumen  was  exercised,  yet  to  obtain  the 


OP  Tj-HE  SCRIPTURES.  211 

influence  necessary  to  usefulness,  even  a  good  man  would 
be  justified  in  its  cultivation.  But  when  the  subject 
which  demands  our  attention,  because  it  is  a  matter  of 
general  interest,  is  in  itself  of  great  value,  the  motive  to 
exertion  is  pr6portionably  increased.  A  knowledge, 
then,  of  the  sacred  languages  should  be  obtained,  be- 
cause public  sentiment  requires  it  in  the  risiijg  Min- 
istry, 'The  inconvenience  of  ignorance  will  become 
every  day  more  seriously  felt,  as  the  acquisition  be- 
comes more  common.  Let  it  be  remembered,  too,  that 
the  enemies  of  the  truth  are  often  the  most  accomplish- 
ed in  knowledge  of  this  kind,  and  that  it  therefore  be- 
comes its  friends  and  advocates  to  maintain  a  standing 
which  shall  place  them  on  equal  terms.  The- appeal 
we  make  on  tliis  subject  is  to  feelings  of  piety,  to  zeal 
for  the  truth  and  honour  of  religion.  It  is  not  for  the 
pleasure  or  the  pride  of  knowledge,  it  is  for  higher  ob- 
jects, and  from  purer  motives  we  would  urge  the  study  of 
the  sacred  languages  in  all  candidates  for  the  Ministry. 

'  VI.  A  knowledge  of  these  languages  has  been  v  made 
a  requi^te  for  admission  into  the  office  of  the  Ministry 
by  almost  every  denomination  of  Christians. 

If  tliis  should,  in  any  case,  become  a  dead  letter,  it 
will  be  a  matter  of  reproach,  and  pi;oof  of  degeneracy, 
in  whatever  section  of  the  Church  it  occurs.  These  re- 
quisitions were  enjoined  in  the  purest  and  most,  en- 
lightened period  of  our  ecclesiastical  existence,  and 
they,  form  an  abiding  testimony  of  the  estimate  which 
our  fathers  made  df  the  importance   of  this   subject. 


212  ORIGINAL  LANGUAGES 

This  testimony  is  sustained  by  the  opinion  of  the  great 
body  of  the  eminently  pious  and  useful  men,  who  have 
adorned  the  Church  of  Christ.  The  Reformers  were 
all  learned  men,  men  familiar  witli  the  Scriptures  in 
the  languages  in  which  they  were  revealed.  This  was 
the  case  with  Luther  and  Calvin,  with  Melancthon  and 
Beza..  It  was  the  case  with  Knox,  .though  born  in  a 
land  comparatively  ignorant,  and  although  he  had  to 
make  the  acquisition  in  a  great  measure,  when  he  was 
of  full  age  and  ah  exile.  It  was  the  case  with  the  Eng- 
lish Reformers,  and  the  English  Puritans,  with  Owen 
and  Baxter  arid  How,  and  in  short  with  almost  every 
man  T^hose  memory  has  come  down  embalmed  in  the 
blessings  of  his  generation.  It  was  an  attainment, 
which  thege  men  not  only  inade,  but  which  they  highly 
prized,  which  they,  in  many  cases,  made  great  sacri- 
fices to  secure,  and  which,  as  Luther  says,  they  would 
not  exchange  for  all  the  treasures  of  the  world.  An  im- 
pression of  the  importance  of  this  subject,  so  general, 
so  strong,  and  so  lasting,  is  not  likely  to  prove  unfound- 
ed* Shall  we,  then,  be  dead  tb  all  the  considerations 
which  'have  thus  impressed  the  purest  churches  and  the 
most  favoured  of  God's  servants  ?  Shall  we  regard  an 
attainment  whicli  they  so  highly  prized,  as  unworthy  a 
serious  effort  ? 

VII.  This  acquisition,  requires  no  great  labour,  and 
will  prove  a  source  of  constant  pleasure.  -    ^ 

"It  might  doubtless  be  easily  made,  by  every  minister 
in  half  the  number  of  hours  which  he  has  already  wasted. 


OF  THE  SCRIPTURES.  213 

In  most  cases,  tlie  difficulty  is  in  a  great  measure  over- 
come, with  regard  to  the  Greek,  before  professional 
studies  are  commenced.  As  it  respects  Hebrew,  the 
difficulty  is  greatly  overrated.  It  is  far  more  simple  in 
its  structure  and  syntax  than  either  of  the  classic  lan- 
guages ;  and  the  repulsive  features  of  the  vowel  system 
become  famihar  after  a  few  months  attention.  There 
is  therefore  no  excuse  to  be  found  in  the  irksomeness 
of  the  task,  for  its  neglect.  The  language  of  the  Old 
Testament  has  its  own  peculiar  claims.  It  was,  per- 
adventure,  the  primitive  language  of  our  race.  It  is 
confessedly  the  repository  of  the  oldest  literature^  of 
the  most  sublime  productions,  of  the  purest  ideas  of 
God  and  religion  of  the  ancient  world.  The  language 
in  which  Moses  wrote,  in  which  Isaiah  breathed  thie 
eloquence  of  heaven,  and  through  which  the  soul  of 
David  poured  forth  itself  to  God.  No  one  can  be  insen- 
sible to  the  interest  which  belongs  tt)  the  language  of  the 
patriarchs  and  prophets,  and  which  has  formed  the  me- 
dium of  so  large  a  portion  of  God's  communications  to 
men.  It'is,  however,  not  merely  for  its  own  sake,  or  for 
the  sake  of  a  proper  understanding  and  appreciation  of 
the  Old  Testament  Scriptures,'  that  the  Hebrew  is  im- 
portant. The  New  Testament  is  Hebraic.  It  is 
so  completely  impressed  with  this  character,  that  np 
rule  in  its  interpretation  is  of  more  frequent  application 
than  that  which  requires  us  to  explain  its  terms,  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  meaning  of  the  corresponding  Hebrew 
word.    It  is  no  extravagant  assertion;,  that  an  indivi- 


214  ORIGINAL  LANGUAGES,    &C. 

dual  ignorant  of  the  language  of  the  Old  Testament,  is 
incapable  of  properly  explaining  the  New. 

Let  candidates  for  the  Ministry  lay  this  subject  to 
heart.  Let  them  feel  the  responsibility  which  rests  upon 
them  to  prepare,  not  in  the  easiest,  but  the  best,  manner 
their  circumstances  permit,  to  understand,  explain,  and 
defend  the  truth  of  God.  Let  them  resolve  to  be  Bible 
men — men  mighty  in  the  Scriptures ;  let  them  determine 
to  read  a  portion  of  the  Word  of  God  in  the  original 
everyday;  what  they  commence  as  a  task,  they  will 
soon  continue  as  a  delight.  If  the  remarks  which'  we 
have  made  are  well  founded,  it  must  be  admitted,  that  a 
knowledge  of  the  sacred  languages  is  one  of  the  most 
essential  qualifications  for  the  Ministry;  and  if  this  be 
admitted,  then  may  we  confidently  hope,  that  no  con- 
scientious candidate  for  the  sacred  office,  will  neglect  to 
make  this  important  attainment. 

H(Bc  €0  dicta  sunt,  tit  intelligamus  nos  evangelium 
nunquam  retenturos  esse,  nisi  Jiat  linguarum  notitia. 


f^ 


>i 


